Jeremy Avis was a Choral Scholar at New College, Oxford, before completing doctoral fieldwork in Cameroon on masquerade xylophone music. He has performed and recorded early music internationally with ensembles including Fretwork, Joglaresa and Ensemble Oni Wytars, and was a long-standing member of contemporary choral ensemble The Shout. Jeremy has sung roles for the National Theatre, UK, Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare’s Globe where he has also musically directed many productions. He has conducted contemporary music projects worldwide, and performed with artists ranging from Gwilym Simcock to Akram Khan and Jocelyn Pook. His voice features widely in film and television, and he has served as musical director for Globe Theatre productions and the feature film Fisherman’s Friends: One and All.

www.jeremyavis.co.uk

Sam Stadlen is a viol player, lecturer, filmmaker and audio engineer based in the UK. A member of Fretwork since 2015, he performs internationally across Europe and North America and has appeared at venues including Carnegie Hall. Sam is active as a continuo player and soloist and has recorded extensively, including releases with Dame Emma Kirkby and Iestyn Davies. He is Professor of Viol Consort at the Royal College of Music and a former lecturer at the University of York. Alongside performing, Sam runs a recording business and produces widely used tutorial resources for viol players. He holds a PhD in French baroque performance practice.

www.samstadlen.co.uk

Suntou Susso is a renowned kora player and Griot from The Gambia, born into a distinguished lineage of traditional musicians. Trained from an early age in Brikama under the guidance of his father, he combines virtuosic technique with deep knowledge of Mandinka oral traditions. Suntou has performed throughout Europe, the U.S. and Africa, appearing at festivals such as WOMAD and Brighton Early Music Festival. His music blends traditional kora repertoire with jazz and classical influences, featuring extended improvisation rooted in ancestral song forms. An experienced educator, he also leads workshops at university level, sharing both musical skills and the cultural significance of the griot tradition.

www.suntoususso.com

Simo Lagnawi is a Gnawa musician of Berber heritage who grew up travelling across Morocco, learning Gnawa rhythms and Ahwash chants from master musicians. He has also studied South Moroccan folk traditions and sub-Saharan lute styles. Since moving to London in 2008, Simo has performed widely across Europe, appearing at major festivals including Glastonbury, Latitude and WOMAD, and holding residencies at the V&A and Passing Clouds. A passionate collaborator, he has recorded with artists from Japan, Gambia and Senegal. Signed to Riverboat Records, Simo performs with Gnawa Blues All Stars, Electric Jalaba, and as a solo artist.

Rebecca Askew trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and works as a performer, composer, musical director and vocal animateur. She was a founder member of the award-winning vocal ensemble The Shout, touring extensively in the UK and internationally. A leading exponent of a cappella voice theatre, she has created and toured acclaimed two-hander works with mezzo-soprano Melanie Pappenheim. As a freelance singer, she has collaborated with composers including Jocelyn Pook, Orlando Gough and Kerry Andrews, performing in major UK venues such as the National Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe. Rebecca is also a choral conductor and for ten years led Whispering Woods, a community ensemble dedicated to outdoor singing.

www.rebeccaaskew.co.uk